Halfway House vs Sober Living

Peter Brooke

3 months ago

Halfway House vs Sober Living: Pros and Cons

Addiction is a very complex disease. There is no specific cure to the condition but rather ways to manage its symptoms, such as the drug-seeking behavior. Once a person stops using relapse prevention skills and aftercare services, the risk of the disease relapsing is high. In fact, an addict going through their first year of sobriety has a 40 to 60 percent chance to relapse, according to a study published on JAMA. As such, we will look at halfway house vs sober living in this article, discussing the pros and cons of each to help you with your long-term sobriety and transition.

Halfway House

What is a Halfway House?

Historically, a halfway house is a sanctuary for people with emotional, mental and physical disabilities. It is also a place where people with a criminal history can find support. The purpose of a halfway house is provide a safe space for people to relearn the skills they need to become a productive member of society that have all the tools they need to take care of themselves.

In relation to addiction and recovering addicts, a halfway house is a place where people from all backgrounds are welcomed into a setting where they can transition from intensive outpatient or inpatient treatment to a normal productive life. One key difference between a halfway house vs sober living is that only halfway houses are usually government-funded.

Pros of a Halfway House

To better understand the difference between a halfway house vs sober living, we will take a look at the benefits of a halfway house. The benefits of using a halfway house as a way to continue with support and care during addiction recovery are as follows:

It helps to create structure to your day, such as having a time for residents to get up in the morning.

Each resident is held accountable for their actions, thus helping them to stay on track with recovery.

Most halfway homes require that 12-step group meetings be attended regularly, or a similar support group.

Various house rules help to keep order and balance within the home, creating a structured platform that everyone can follow.

Perhaps one of the key benefits of this aftercare service is that a recovering person can find peer support to assist them with their sobriety.

Alcohol and drugs are prohibited, providing you with a safe space away from negative influences.

Cons of a Halfway House

Understandably, there are some aspects of a halfway house that some might find to be a negative. Depending on which halfway house near me you use, you can expect the following cons:

While rules such as regular drug testing are important, not everyone needs it. Some have been sober for months and just want a bit more support during a rough time in their life by going to a hallway house. For these people, regular testing and curfews may seem like too much.

A negative aspect of a halfway home with regards to neighbors and the community is that it can diminish the value of neighboring houses due to the sometimes questionable people living in the homes, such as those who have come out of prison.

Lastly, you can’t choose who you have to live with in these homes, which means that you may have personality clashes with some people in the home.

Halfway House Near Me

Better Addiction Care provides one of the largest collections of rehabs and halfway houses from around the country. To discover halfway house near me, get in touch with a representative at Better Addiction Care today by calling them at (800) 429-7690.

Sober Living Home

What is a Sober Living Home?

To better understand the difference between a halfway house vs sober living, we will take a close look at what a sober living environment is. A sober living situation can be seen as a sanctuary for recovering addicts, unlike a halfway house that isn’t necessarily aimed at just recovering addicts; residents at a halfway house may include people with a physical disability or someone who’s recently gotten out of jail.

Furthermore, unlike halfway houses, a sober home is usually funded privately. It’s common to find sober homes funded by rehab centers as a part of their aftercare services. The main purpose of sober living homes is to help with the transition from treatment and rehab to mainstream society.

Pros of a Sober Living Home

Being part of a sober living house can have several benefits, much like a halfway house. With sober living oftentimes being sponsored by a rehab center or private individuals, one can expect more variation in the way that each is run and the quality of each establishment.

The following are the pros of a sober living environment:

Everyone is accountable for their actions while staying in the house. Both staff and peers hold residents accountable.

Staying with roommate can help to build communication skills.

The structure and schedule help to provide the kind of foundation that one needs to become a productive member of society.

A key benefit of such an environment is that there are no negative influences around you, including no alcohol or drugs.

Peer learning can also be achieved since it’s more likely that you will be living with others in the same situation as you that may be further along the road to recovery than you are.

Cons of a Sober Living Home

When looking at halfway house vs sober living, they share many of the same cons. However, sober homes are focused on recovering addicts and not criminal rehabilitation.

The cons are as follows:

Similar to halfway houses, sober living requires that you adhere to strict rules such as curfew and drug tests. These can seem disrespectful to some who have been sober for a long time, but a crucial part of the program.

Staying with other people isn’t always a good thing; when you don’t get along with your roommate then it can make the time difficult; however, since they are privately funded, it may be easier to find a new roommate.